Tipperary Museums

Thurles Lár na Páirce GAA Museum

Lár na Páirce GAA Museum, located in Thurles, the birthplace of the GAA, is home to Ireland’s first and oldest collection of Gaelic Games sporting heritage.

It houses an impressive collection – including hurleys, footballs, jerseys, trophies, medals, programmes, publications and banners – which brings to life the development of Gaelic Games from ancient times to the present day as well as showing its unique role in Irish history.

Same is part of what we are, a valuable and treasured expression of our heritage – a storehouse of the culture and traditions of our most popular national pastimes. Recently refurbished, it now features a state of the art audio-visual system to enhance the visitor’s experience at key points throughout the tour.

Lár na Páirce, which opened in 1994, is now a multi-faceted, sophisticated, fully automated experience with the centre-piece of the museum remaining – the rare Sam Melbourne collection.

The Sam Melbourne Collection

The late Sam Melbourne, a native of Horse & Jockey, Thurles, started collecting GAA material in the 1930s. In 1989, Tipperary GAA Board purchased this unique collection and gave it a permanent home at Lár na Páirce. Over the years the collection had grown in importance and size and remains a unique experience for the visitor.

Museum Site: Lár na Páirce GAA Museum is located at Slievenamon Road, close to the junction with Liberty Square, in the Thurles town centre.